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December 27, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, December 29, 2013 from 10 to 10:30 AM. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home at 10:30 AM followed by burial at Laurel Grove Memorial Park Cemetery, Totowa.
Casper Siersma, age 95 of North Haledon died peacefully on Friday, December 27, 2013. He had been a resident of the Holland Christian Home.
Born in Paterson, Cap was raised in Totowa and Haledon. His teenage years were defined by the Great Depression and he began working at a very early age to help support his family. They had a milk bottling company which also provided home delivery. Cap’s father also raised show rabbits which they would bring to New York City for competition. The rabbits were prized possessions and Cap’s father once shot a man trying to steal a rabbit from their barn. The wounded thief managed to escape, empty handed.
At the onset of World War II, Cap joined the U.S. Navy and he was extremely proud of his service as a Seabee. He often recanted his stories about crossing the Atlantic on his way to Africa, building pontoon bridges, and riding aboard LST boats. His time in the Navy was a huge part of his life and his friends know he rarely went anywhere without his Navy hat on.
Upon his discharge from the Navy, he went back to work at the Sam Braen & Sons quarry on Central Avenue in Haledon. His career there spanned over forty years as foreman of asphalt production. He was more than just a dedicated employee, often going to the plant on his days off just to make sure everything was OK. His son recalls how Cap would drive to the plant every Sunday morning, when it was normally closed, just to check the furnaces and make sure they were hot so asphalt production could resume on Monday morning without a hitch. He was very skilled at his job, could build and fix just about anything, and even in his retirement, the quarry would call him in to help on difficult projects. He not only loved his job, but he ‘lived’ his job and never took a vacation.
Cap had a bit of ‘stubborn Dutch’ in him too – just a bit. Things were done his way. When his wife fell ill with Alzheimer’s disease, Cap was intent on caring for her at home himself, and care for her he did. Despite being hospitalized himself, having surgery too, he skipped going to rehab so he could be home caring for Gladys until her passing in 2001. Being a child of the Depression, he believed “it could happen again any day” and he was frugal almost to a fault. He even considered Novocain to be a luxury and if you asked him how he was able to handle the pain of a root canal without it, he would tell you; “it hurt less than opening my wallet.” His good planning however, allowed him to enjoy his most recent years at the Holland Christian Home in North Haledon, where he made some good friends and was able to nourish his Christian soul.
Cap is survived by his two children; Rodger Siersma and his wife Sue of Hackettstown, NJ and Dawn White and her husband Clay of Glenwood, NJ, five grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and his sister Vera Besso of Belvedere, NJ. He was predeceased by his wife Gladys in 2001, his daughter Joan, two brothers; Martin and Albert, and one sister; Connie.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, December 29, 2013 from 10 to 10:30 AM. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home at 10:30 AM followed by burial at Laurel Grove Memorial Park Cemetery, Totowa.
December 27, 2013
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday, December 29, 2013 from 10 to 10:30 AM. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home at 10:30 AM followed by burial at Laurel Grove Memorial Park Cemetery, Totowa.
Casper Siersma, age 95 of North Haledon died peacefully on Friday, December 27, 2013. He had been a resident of the Holland Christian Home.
Born in Paterson, Cap was raised in Totowa and Haledon. His teenage years were defined by the Great Depression and he began working at a very early age to help support his family. They had a milk bottling company which also provided home delivery. Cap’s father also raised show rabbits which they would bring to New York City for competition. The rabbits were prized possessions and Cap’s father once shot a man trying to steal a rabbit from their barn. The wounded thief managed to escape, empty handed.
At the onset of World War II, Cap joined the U.S. Navy and he was extremely proud of his service as a Seabee. He often recanted his stories about crossing the Atlantic on his way to Africa, building pontoon bridges, and riding aboard LST boats. His time in the Navy was a huge part of his life and his friends know he rarely went anywhere without his Navy hat on.
Upon his discharge from the Navy, he went back to work at the Sam Braen & Sons quarry on Central Avenue in Haledon. His career there spanned over forty years as foreman of asphalt production. He was more than just a dedicated employee, often going to the plant on his days off just to make sure everything was OK. His son recalls how Cap would drive to the plant every Sunday morning, when it was normally closed, just to check the furnaces and make sure they were hot so asphalt production could resume on Monday morning without a hitch. He was very skilled at his job, could build and fix just about anything, and even in his retirement, the quarry would call him in to help on difficult projects. He not only loved his job, but he ‘lived’ his job and never took a vacation.
Cap had a bit of ‘stubborn Dutch’ in him too – just a bit. Things were done his way. When his wife fell ill with Alzheimer’s disease, Cap was intent on caring for her at home himself, and care for her he did. Despite being hospitalized himself, having surgery too, he skipped going to rehab so he could be home caring for Gladys until her passing in 2001. Being a child of the Depression, he believed “it could happen again any day” and he was frugal almost to a fault. He even considered Novocain to be a luxury and if you asked him how he was able to handle the pain of a root canal without it, he would tell you; “it hurt less than opening my wallet.” His good planning however, allowed him to enjoy his most recent years at the Holland Christian Home in North Haledon, where he made some good friends and was able to nourish his Christian soul.
Cap is survived by his two children; Rodger Siersma and his wife Sue of Hackettstown, NJ and Dawn White and her husband Clay of Glenwood, NJ, five grandchildren, ten great-grandchildren, and his sister Vera Besso of Belvedere, NJ. He was predeceased by his wife Gladys in 2001, his daughter Joan, two brothers; Martin and Albert, and one sister; Connie.
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